An Assassin in Utopia: The True Story of a Nineteenth-Century Sex Cult and a President's Murder
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- Create Date：2023-03-01 11:22:10
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Susan Wels
- ISBN：B0BGSP3R3B
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Summary
This true crime odyssey explores a forgotten， astonishing chapter of American history， leading the reader from a free-love community in upstate New York to the shocking assassination of President James Garfield。
It was heaven on earth—and， some whispered， the devil’s garden。
Thousands came by trains and carriages to see this new Eden， carved from hundreds of acres of wild woodland。 They marveled at orchards bursting with fruit， thick herds of Ayrshire cattle and Cotswold sheep， and whizzing mills。 They gaped at the people who lived in this place—especially the women， with their queer cropped hair and shamelessly short skirts。 The men and women of this strange outpost worked and slept together—without sin， they claimed。
From 1848 to 1881， a small utopian colony in upstate New York—the Oneida Community—was known for its shocking sexual practices， from open marriage and free love to the sexual training of young boys by older women。 And in 1881， a one-time member of the Oneida Community—Charles Julius Guiteau—assassinated President James Garfield in a brutal crime that shook America to its core。
An Assassin in Utopia is the first book that weaves together these explosive stories in a tale of utopian experiments， political machinations， and murder。 This deeply researched narrative—by bestselling author Susan Wels—tells the true， interlocking stories of the Oneida Community and its radical founder， John Humphrey Noyes; his idol， the eccentric newspaper publisher Horace Greeley （founder of the New Yorker and the New York Tribune）; and the gloomy， indecisive President James Garfield—who was assassinated after his first six months in office。
Juxtaposed to their stories is the odd tale of Garfield’s assassin， the demented Charles Julius Guiteau， who was connected to all of them in extraordinary， surprising ways。
Against a vivid backdrop of ambition， hucksterism， epidemics， and spectacle， the book’s interwoven stories fuse together in the climactic murder of President Garfield in 1881—at the same time as the Oneida Community collapsed。
Colorful and compelling， An Assassin in Utopia is a page-turning odyssey through America’s nineteenth-century cultural and political landscape。
It was heaven on earth—and， some whispered， the devil’s garden。
Thousands came by trains and carriages to see this new Eden， carved from hundreds of acres of wild woodland。 They marveled at orchards bursting with fruit， thick herds of Ayrshire cattle and Cotswold sheep， and whizzing mills。 They gaped at the people who lived in this place—especially the women， with their queer cropped hair and shamelessly short skirts。 The men and women of this strange outpost worked and slept together—without sin， they claimed。
From 1848 to 1881， a small utopian colony in upstate New York—the Oneida Community—was known for its shocking sexual practices， from open marriage and free love to the sexual training of young boys by older women。 And in 1881， a one-time member of the Oneida Community—Charles Julius Guiteau—assassinated President James Garfield in a brutal crime that shook America to its core。
An Assassin in Utopia is the first book that weaves together these explosive stories in a tale of utopian experiments， political machinations， and murder。 This deeply researched narrative—by bestselling author Susan Wels—tells the true， interlocking stories of the Oneida Community and its radical founder， John Humphrey Noyes; his idol， the eccentric newspaper publisher Horace Greeley （founder of the New Yorker and the New York Tribune）; and the gloomy， indecisive President James Garfield—who was assassinated after his first six months in office。
Juxtaposed to their stories is the odd tale of Garfield’s assassin， the demented Charles Julius Guiteau， who was connected to all of them in extraordinary， surprising ways。
Against a vivid backdrop of ambition， hucksterism， epidemics， and spectacle， the book’s interwoven stories fuse together in the climactic murder of President Garfield in 1881—at the same time as the Oneida Community collapsed。
Colorful and compelling， An Assassin in Utopia is a page-turning odyssey through America’s nineteenth-century cultural and political landscape。
Reviews
Katy M
，
2023 Pop sugar Reading Challenge-a book published in 2023。Lots of ineresting info。 Kind of all over the place， but I don't mind that。 2023 Pop sugar Reading Challenge-a book published in 2023。Lots of ineresting info。 Kind of all over the place， but I don't mind that。 。。。more
Sara
，
There is a lot of interesting information here， but it only seems to be connected on the basis it all happened in the same era。 Yes， Wels discusses Charles Guiteau and his background， the Oneida Community in great detail， and the nomination and election of President Garfield， but Guiteau only passed through Oneida for a short time before he was deemed too creepy and moved on。 The link is tenuous， but it's not the only one。 The Fox Sisters， P。T。 Barnum， Horace Greeley， John Noyes， and numerous po There is a lot of interesting information here， but it only seems to be connected on the basis it all happened in the same era。 Yes， Wels discusses Charles Guiteau and his background， the Oneida Community in great detail， and the nomination and election of President Garfield， but Guiteau only passed through Oneida for a short time before he was deemed too creepy and moved on。 The link is tenuous， but it's not the only one。 The Fox Sisters， P。T。 Barnum， Horace Greeley， John Noyes， and numerous politicians are name-dropped。 Instead of a microhistory， this is more of a look at more subversive behavior on many different levels。 。。。more
Mark
，
This could have been a magazine article。 The book is barely 200 pages and is still full of irrelevant details that are only there to pad the story。
Drtaxsacto
，
When the US was a young country Alexis DeTocqueville came here and found a remarkable voluntary spirit many things that were done in Europe by government were accomplished by groups of neighbors。 Part of what he described was a willingness to experiment。 Part of those experiments were utopian efforts of communal living including breaking the traditional bounds of matrimony。 Perhaps one of the most prominent communities was led by a man named John Henry Noyes。 Noyes went to Yale Divinity School （ When the US was a young country Alexis DeTocqueville came here and found a remarkable voluntary spirit many things that were done in Europe by government were accomplished by groups of neighbors。 Part of what he described was a willingness to experiment。 Part of those experiments were utopian efforts of communal living including breaking the traditional bounds of matrimony。 Perhaps one of the most prominent communities was led by a man named John Henry Noyes。 Noyes went to Yale Divinity School （where he was thrown out）。 He founded a community which was successful in many ways。The US was a small country at the time but Wels does an amazing job of tying several US presidents （from Lincoln to Arthur）， PT Barnum， a couple of prominent politicians especially the redoubtable Roscoe Conkling and Charles Guiteau （the absolute loon who lived in the Oneida community for a time）。 What Wels does very well is combine all these threads into a coherent narrative which gives you a good idea of what the middle part of the nineteenth century was like。 。。。more
Kurtie
，
19th century， free sex， Horace Greeley， Presidents， Universalists， P。T。 Barnum， conversations with the dead。 All this in the first third of the book。 Not sure where this is going。Refers to assassin attempts （Jackson （not as President）， Lincoln） and presidential deaths。Guiteau the assassin of President Garfield。 Nearly half the book before he comes up other than in passing。 Doesn’t really come into play until chapter 10 （of 13！）。Chapter 11， 3/4 into the book， we really see what a nut Guiteau was: 19th century， free sex， Horace Greeley， Presidents， Universalists， P。T。 Barnum， conversations with the dead。 All this in the first third of the book。 Not sure where this is going。Refers to assassin attempts （Jackson （not as President）， Lincoln） and presidential deaths。Guiteau the assassin of President Garfield。 Nearly half the book before he comes up other than in passing。 Doesn’t really come into play until chapter 10 （of 13！）。Chapter 11， 3/4 into the book， we really see what a nut Guiteau was: imagining personal relationships with Garfield and the Sec。 of State。 It’s quick， then Garfield is shot。 Guiteau is happy afterwards， with a feeling of accomplishment that Chester Arthur would be President。 Interesting defense， that Guiteau fired the shot but medical malpractice is what killed the President。Oddly， the narrative shifts back to the Oneida Community and its move away from “complex” family life in 1879 with a 48 hour period of sex with multiple partners。 Not at all seeing how so much detailed description of the Oneidans relates to the assassination of Garfield。 Yes， Guiteau had lived in this community at one point but it doesn’t sound like he really fit in there。 Final chapter focuses on a Robert Oddlum who had a failed tour of artifacts from the assassination。 So the chapter focuses on Oddlum jumping off bridges and an early 19th century river jumper， Sam Patch who died in 1829。 What does this have to do with anything in the book？Book is described and promoted as “the true story of a 19th century sex cult and a presidential assassination。” Susan Wells tells a good story but this is disjointed and the two subjects come across as only loosely related。 Several books could come out of her content or just several essays。 Enjoyable， especially if you like historic trivia。 Not a complex read。 。。。more
David Vecsey
，
Life in mid-19th century America was absolutely bananas， and this book wraps it all up in a lithe， brisk narrative of sex cults， assassins， shysters and entrepreneurs， political rivalries and patronage， social castes， weird food， weirder medical practices， even weirder philosophical thinking， newspaper publishing， westward expansion， wealth， poverty， circuses and steamship collisions。 Jesus。 This book has it all， name-dropping the period characters like lyrics to a lost Dylan tune: Greeley， Garf Life in mid-19th century America was absolutely bananas， and this book wraps it all up in a lithe， brisk narrative of sex cults， assassins， shysters and entrepreneurs， political rivalries and patronage， social castes， weird food， weirder medical practices， even weirder philosophical thinking， newspaper publishing， westward expansion， wealth， poverty， circuses and steamship collisions。 Jesus。 This book has it all， name-dropping the period characters like lyrics to a lost Dylan tune: Greeley， Garfield， Twain， Marx， P。T。 Barnum， Roscoe Conkling and Chester Arthur， female Civil War spies dressed in men's array， free-love communes， Emerson， Thoreau， Guiteau， Garfield， U。S。 Grant， sister psychics， Darwin， Margaret Fuller 。。。 and on and on。 It's like a romp through the Old， Weird America of Greil Marcus's fancy。 Can't recommend it enough。 。。。more
Eavan Hooke
，
This is a well researched 。and shocking book。 It's well written and very interesting。 The author draws a line from the Oneida Community to the assassination of President Garfield。Charles Guiteau in his crazed mind believed he could unify the country by assassinating a political figure。 So many of the famous figures in American history are intertwined in this history。 The political parallels between then and now are quite striking， a divided Republican Party， Crazy sex cults， political machinatio This is a well researched 。and shocking book。 It's well written and very interesting。 The author draws a line from the Oneida Community to the assassination of President Garfield。Charles Guiteau in his crazed mind believed he could unify the country by assassinating a political figure。 So many of the famous figures in American history are intertwined in this history。 The political parallels between then and now are quite striking， a divided Republican Party， Crazy sex cults， political machinations。 。。。more
BookTrib。com
，
Even if you’re no expert on American history， you will have your finger on its pulse while reading AN ASSASSIN IN UTOPIA: THE TRUE STORY OF A NINETEENTH-CENTURY SEX CULT AND A PRESIDENT'S MURDER by Susan Wels。Read the full review on Booktrib。com Even if you’re no expert on American history， you will have your finger on its pulse while reading AN ASSASSIN IN UTOPIA: THE TRUE STORY OF A NINETEENTH-CENTURY SEX CULT AND A PRESIDENT'S MURDER by Susan Wels。Read the full review on Booktrib。com 。。。more
Richard Brown
，
An Assassin in Utopia: The True Story of a Nineteenth-Century Sex Cult and a President's Murder by Susan Wels is a true crime odyssey that explores a forgotten， astonishing chapter of American history， leading the reader from a free-love community in upstate New York to the shocking assassination of President James Garfield。 I had read about this historical period in several other books， most recently Civil War by Other Means。Susan Wels has written an excellent historical overview of a period we An Assassin in Utopia: The True Story of a Nineteenth-Century Sex Cult and a President's Murder by Susan Wels is a true crime odyssey that explores a forgotten， astonishing chapter of American history， leading the reader from a free-love community in upstate New York to the shocking assassination of President James Garfield。 I had read about this historical period in several other books， most recently Civil War by Other Means。Susan Wels has written an excellent historical overview of a period we often overlook。 I highly recommend An Assassin in Utopia: The True Story of a Nineteenth-Century Sex Cult and a President's Murder。The Oneida Community， even though it was the most successful utopian community， is often overlooked。 Ms。 Wels connects the dots and places the experiment in the center of a transitional period。 It is not merely the connection between Charles Julius Guitea and his assassination of President James Garfield， albeit a brutal crime， that shook America to its core， but all of the other linkages。 These include "John Humphrey Noyes; his idol， the eccentric newspaper publisher Horace Greeley （founder of the New Yorker and the New York Tribune）。"She also resurrects the importance of the Wormely Compromise and the African-American family that was an instrumental part of public society。I have found fiction to be something I enjoy， but I knew it was time for a non-fiction book to balance my reading。 The New York Times and other publications highly rated An Assassin in Utopia。The Goodreads summary provides an overview，It was heaven on earth—and， some whispered， the devil's garden。Thousands came by trains and carriages to see this new Eden， carved from hundreds of acres of wild woodland。 They marveled at orchards bursting with fruit， thick herds of Ayrshire cattle， Cotswold sheep， and whizzing mills。 They gaped at the people who lived in this place—especially the women， with their queer-cropped hair and shamelessly short skirts。 The men and women of this strange outpost worked and slept together—without sin， they claimed。From 1848 to 1881， a small utopian colony in upstate New York—the Oneida Community—was known for its shocking sexual practices， from open marriage and free love to the sexual training of young boys by older women。 And in 1881， a one-time member of the Oneida Community—Charles Julius Guiteau—assassinated President James Garfield in a brutal crime that shook America to its core。An Assassin in Utopia is the first book that weaves together these explosive stories in a tale of utopian experiments， political machinations， and murder。 This deeply researched narrative—by bestselling author Susan Wels—tells the true， interlocking stories of the Oneida Community and its radical founder， John Humphrey Noyes; his idol， the eccentric newspaper publisher Horace Greeley （founder of the New Yorker and the New York Tribune）; and the gloomy， indecisive President James Garfield—who was assassinated after his first six months in office。Juxtaposed to their stories is the odd tale of Garfield's assassin， the demented Charles Julius Guiteau， who was connected to all of them in extraordinary， surprising ways。Against a vivid backdrop of ambition， hucksterism， epidemics， and spectacle， the book's interwoven stories fuse in the climactic murder of President Garfield in 1881—at the same time as the Oneida Community collapsed。Colorful and compelling， An Assassin in Utopia is a page-turning odyssey through America's nineteenth-century cultural and political landscape。 。。。more
Kenny Schwarz
，
As a self-proclaimed history nerd， I found this book to have fascinating insights on a relatively little known period in the 19th century。 The Garfield assassination is arguably one of the most overlooked tragedies in history and this book does a good job highlighting some previously unknown elements of Garfield’s personal life， the nutty life of his assassin， Charles Guiteau， and the steamy lives of the Oneida group （who knew there was such a free-love style group back then？）。 Very interesting As a self-proclaimed history nerd， I found this book to have fascinating insights on a relatively little known period in the 19th century。 The Garfield assassination is arguably one of the most overlooked tragedies in history and this book does a good job highlighting some previously unknown elements of Garfield’s personal life， the nutty life of his assassin， Charles Guiteau， and the steamy lives of the Oneida group （who knew there was such a free-love style group back then？）。 Very interesting and well-written。 I recommend it for all history lovers。 。。。more
Grant Erickson
，
A altogether fun read， especially if you like reading about Presidential Assassinations。 However， the two topics （Charles J。 Guiteau， the utopian Oneida Community） are not related enough to justify basing a book off both of them， since Guiteau didn't spend all that much time there， and was pretty much kicked out for being a creepy proto-Incel。 It's like writing a book about The Ramones and 9/11 on the basis of the band maybe visiting the Twin Towers once or twice。I enjoyed it overall， but I thin A altogether fun read， especially if you like reading about Presidential Assassinations。 However， the two topics （Charles J。 Guiteau， the utopian Oneida Community） are not related enough to justify basing a book off both of them， since Guiteau didn't spend all that much time there， and was pretty much kicked out for being a creepy proto-Incel。 It's like writing a book about The Ramones and 9/11 on the basis of the band maybe visiting the Twin Towers once or twice。I enjoyed it overall， but I think it would have been better as two separate books。 。。。more
Ray
，
“An Assassin in Utopia，” covers a lot of territory of the late 19th Century， discussing a wide range of seemingly unrelated characters， primarily Charles Guiteau， the assassin of President James A。 Garfield。 But author Susan Wels also included an eclectic variety of other figures from that era， including a few long forgotten spiritualists， showman P。T。 Barnum， well known newspaper publisher Horace Greeley， preacher and free love advocate John Noyes， and significant political figures of the era i “An Assassin in Utopia，” covers a lot of territory of the late 19th Century， discussing a wide range of seemingly unrelated characters， primarily Charles Guiteau， the assassin of President James A。 Garfield。 But author Susan Wels also included an eclectic variety of other figures from that era， including a few long forgotten spiritualists， showman P。T。 Barnum， well known newspaper publisher Horace Greeley， preacher and free love advocate John Noyes， and significant political figures of the era including NY Senator Roscoe Conkling， Maine Senator James Blaine， Presidents U。S。 Grant， Chester A。 Arthur， Rutherford B。 Hayes， etc。 Guiteau is central to the book， and is shown to be an erratic figure with illusions of grandeur。 He tried and failed a number of endeavors， including joining a free-love enclave in upstate NY， becoming a lawyer， and trying his hand as a political influencer。 I suspect the mention of the Oneida free-love religious community， started by preacher John Humphrey Noyes， was added to the book simply to spice up the narrative。 It's importance， other than to provide a look at differenct segments of society at the time， was lost on me。 Regardless， Charles Guiteau had been a member of this free-love group， but left when none of the women would pay any attention to him。 It's not clear if joining that community influenced him in any significant way。 After bouncing around for a while in different jobs and in different locations， Guiteau eventually tried attaching himself to the Garfield Presidential campaign of 1880。 He apparently felt these efforts entitled him to an appointment as foreign service representative to France or Austria， and perhaps could become a future President。 Badly mistaken， rejected and isolated， Guiteau eventually got the idea that Garfield was harmful to the Republican Party。 He concluded that it necessary to assassinate recently elected James Garfiled in order to allow Chester A。 Arthur to assume the presidency and unite the Republican Party， and actually thought he would be celebrated for this deed。 He proved to be wrong， of course， and was eventually convicted of murder and hanged。 。。。more
David
，
Best book I’ve read in the last two years！ An area of American history I haven’t covered before。 A great read！
Casey
，
I couldn't put it down。 I loved learning about this time period that was so wild and also has some resonance with the politics of today。 The weaving of stories is rich and captivating in this one。 I couldn't put it down。 I loved learning about this time period that was so wild and also has some resonance with the politics of today。 The weaving of stories is rich and captivating in this one。 。。。more
Bradley Golden
，
What a fascinating， fun， educational， and transporting book！ From the moment you start reading the first page， you’ll discover the world as it was in mid 19th century in rich detail with many colorful and peculiar characters of American history。 As bizarre events unfolded， the political turmoil of those times seem as real as today’s politics。 Really enjoyed this captivating book！
Richard R。
，
Wow！ I consumed this book！ If you enjoy history， sex cults and Americana， you'll love this book。 It explored a part of US history that I only vaguely knew about。 I know there's a number of books devoted to the 'free love' movement of the mid-1800's -- as well as a lot of material on the assassination of President Garfield。 This book weaves the two together in a way that was captivating for me as a reader。 It's really well written and takes the reader through events that include the assassination Wow！ I consumed this book！ If you enjoy history， sex cults and Americana， you'll love this book。 It explored a part of US history that I only vaguely knew about。 I know there's a number of books devoted to the 'free love' movement of the mid-1800's -- as well as a lot of material on the assassination of President Garfield。 This book weaves the two together in a way that was captivating for me as a reader。 It's really well written and takes the reader through events that include the assassination of a president by an incel hanger-on to the Oneida community。 Really， the most enjoyable book I've read a in a long time！ 。。。more
Shannon Malone-DeBenedictis
，
Fun！So much old is new again。 What a tale！ A must read for any history buff。 I’ll never look at my dishes the same way again。
Annarella
，
A fascinating book that made me learn something new about USA history。 There's a political killing but also the story of an utopic community so different from the morality of those times。It's an entertaining read， a well written and informative book。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher for this arc， all opinions are mine A fascinating book that made me learn something new about USA history。 There's a political killing but also the story of an utopic community so different from the morality of those times。It's an entertaining read， a well written and informative book。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher for this arc， all opinions are mine 。。。more
Eva B。
，